Julop’s Pawns. The peeling paint on the sign made Remy sigh.
She’d been working for two weeks now, alongside her new friend, Linc. The two of them actually had fun together, working the desk overnight and cleaning rooms (cleaning that usually was accompanied by long bursts of complaining and snooping), but it definitely did not bring in the moolah that being an adviser had. Not that Remy had been expecting it to, of course. But something over minimum wage would have been nice. She barely had enough to cover the rent and food, and was thankful that it was still not too chilly outside. She hoped that Lysander would have a job by the time it really got cold so they could afford heat. The perk to this bout of…monetary lacking was that Remy was settled as Earalas, so they could keep a fire running if necessary. They’d just have to find a new apartment because surprise! there was no fireplace in this one.
She walked inside the small shop, hearing the little bell clink as the door swung in front of her. The place was dusty and, surprisingly, much larger looking on the inside than it was the outside. It seemed like it went on forever, boxes and shelves stacked all around. It took Remy a moment to find the check out counter, hidden behind a particularly stocked rack of pots and pans. Remy glanced at the prices and raised her eyebrows. How could someone charge that much for these? The majority were dented and tarnished. Definitely not worth their listed price. At least Remy was here to sell, not to buy. Maybe that meant she’d get a decent price.
She walked up to the counter and tapped a brass bell that sent another clinking through the shop. Suddenly a tapestry behind the desk that Remy had thought was hung up for decoration or display was pushed out of the way and an old man appeared from a literal hole in the wall. “You rang?” he asked with a creepy grin. Remy resisted the urge to gag at his two-toothed smile.
“Yes,” she said, confidently. “I have something I’d like to sell.” Her fingers felt around the camera in her pocket. Its smooth edges and dials she’d spent the last few months learning every inch of begged her not to pull it out, but she ignored the pleading and pulled it out anyway. It wasn’t as if she could afford to buy film, and the thing made her heart ache every time she spied it sitting in the corner in her room. Worse than living in a shithole apartment was the fact that Hadley wasn’t there, and all the camera did was remind her of better times.
“It’s a Flint 1.0,” she told him, laying it out in her palm and pushing thoughts of her former best friend out of her mind. “I bought it the first day it was released a few months ago.”
The man’s glassy eyes shot open, his wispy white eyebrows reaching high on his wrinkly forehead. “A camera?” he asked, his voice sounding oddly hungry.
Remy’s mouth curled slightly. Of all clio, this was who she had to sell her baby to? “Yes,” she said again. “It’s brand new, barely used.” She told the man how much she had purchased it for and, before he could offer a price or ask questions, she told him how much she expected.
The man looked at her like she was stupid and Remy wanted to reach around and choke him.
“Oh, sweetheart,” he said, his voice suddenly extremely patronizing. “I’m not sure you’re going to be able to get that much for that thing anywhere. It’s nice, but it’s used.” He went on to offer her something that wasn’t even half of what she had asked for.
Remy stared at him in a deadpan. “Well, sweetheart,” she responded, her voice icy, “I’m guessing you really want it and that you’re not going to let me leave without having made the purchase, so the sooner you agree on my sell price, the faster you’ll be able to get your paws on it.”
Obviously surprised, the man paused for a moment. What an asshole.
“Alright,” he agreed finally, his voice losing it’s condescending tone. He reached into his drawer and counted out the money to Remy before she handed the camera over. She shuddered as his greedy hands snatched her most prized possession out of her own.
“Thanks,” she said shortly, though she didn’t mean it. Then she walked out the door to buy some desperately needed groceries and cooking utensils from somewhere that actually deserved her money.
She’d been working for two weeks now, alongside her new friend, Linc. The two of them actually had fun together, working the desk overnight and cleaning rooms (cleaning that usually was accompanied by long bursts of complaining and snooping), but it definitely did not bring in the moolah that being an adviser had. Not that Remy had been expecting it to, of course. But something over minimum wage would have been nice. She barely had enough to cover the rent and food, and was thankful that it was still not too chilly outside. She hoped that Lysander would have a job by the time it really got cold so they could afford heat. The perk to this bout of…monetary lacking was that Remy was settled as Earalas, so they could keep a fire running if necessary. They’d just have to find a new apartment because surprise! there was no fireplace in this one.
She walked inside the small shop, hearing the little bell clink as the door swung in front of her. The place was dusty and, surprisingly, much larger looking on the inside than it was the outside. It seemed like it went on forever, boxes and shelves stacked all around. It took Remy a moment to find the check out counter, hidden behind a particularly stocked rack of pots and pans. Remy glanced at the prices and raised her eyebrows. How could someone charge that much for these? The majority were dented and tarnished. Definitely not worth their listed price. At least Remy was here to sell, not to buy. Maybe that meant she’d get a decent price.
She walked up to the counter and tapped a brass bell that sent another clinking through the shop. Suddenly a tapestry behind the desk that Remy had thought was hung up for decoration or display was pushed out of the way and an old man appeared from a literal hole in the wall. “You rang?” he asked with a creepy grin. Remy resisted the urge to gag at his two-toothed smile.
“Yes,” she said, confidently. “I have something I’d like to sell.” Her fingers felt around the camera in her pocket. Its smooth edges and dials she’d spent the last few months learning every inch of begged her not to pull it out, but she ignored the pleading and pulled it out anyway. It wasn’t as if she could afford to buy film, and the thing made her heart ache every time she spied it sitting in the corner in her room. Worse than living in a shithole apartment was the fact that Hadley wasn’t there, and all the camera did was remind her of better times.
“It’s a Flint 1.0,” she told him, laying it out in her palm and pushing thoughts of her former best friend out of her mind. “I bought it the first day it was released a few months ago.”
The man’s glassy eyes shot open, his wispy white eyebrows reaching high on his wrinkly forehead. “A camera?” he asked, his voice sounding oddly hungry.
Remy’s mouth curled slightly. Of all clio, this was who she had to sell her baby to? “Yes,” she said again. “It’s brand new, barely used.” She told the man how much she had purchased it for and, before he could offer a price or ask questions, she told him how much she expected.
The man looked at her like she was stupid and Remy wanted to reach around and choke him.
“Oh, sweetheart,” he said, his voice suddenly extremely patronizing. “I’m not sure you’re going to be able to get that much for that thing anywhere. It’s nice, but it’s used.” He went on to offer her something that wasn’t even half of what she had asked for.
Remy stared at him in a deadpan. “Well, sweetheart,” she responded, her voice icy, “I’m guessing you really want it and that you’re not going to let me leave without having made the purchase, so the sooner you agree on my sell price, the faster you’ll be able to get your paws on it.”
Obviously surprised, the man paused for a moment. What an asshole.
“Alright,” he agreed finally, his voice losing it’s condescending tone. He reached into his drawer and counted out the money to Remy before she handed the camera over. She shuddered as his greedy hands snatched her most prized possession out of her own.
“Thanks,” she said shortly, though she didn’t mean it. Then she walked out the door to buy some desperately needed groceries and cooking utensils from somewhere that actually deserved her money.
